Court orders delivery of deputy's weapons after confusion in committee in Rio

The measure responds to a request from the Regional Electoral Prosecutor's Office (PRE), following an episode that occurred on Monday (28) in front of the campaign committee of state deputy Flávio Serafini (PSOL), in Tijuca, North Zone of Rio.

According to the decision, Knoploch had gone to the site during a campaign activity and, after an argument, used pepper spray against people who were on the committee. Witnesses also reported that he displayed a firearm during the episode. Part of the events were recorded on videos, and the parliamentarian himself publicly admitted to having used pepper spray.

The Prosecutor's Office points out the possibility, in theory, of committing crimes such as impeding the exercise of electoral propaganda, gender-based political violence, insulting electoral propaganda, bodily harm, threats and disobedience, in addition to the need to investigate possible illegal possession of a firearm.

When analyzing the case, the rapporteur understood that there were sufficient elements to justify the investigation. The decision cites testimonies from victims and witnesses, incident records, videos and publications on social networks. In the order, the judge stated that “armed violence is the exact opposite of democracy” and highlighted the need to prevent new political clashes on the eve of the election.

With the decision, Knoploch must appear at the Regional Superintendence of the Federal Police in Rio within 24 hours of being summoned to temporarily surrender all weapons registered in his name. The suspension of possession and other precautionary measures are valid until October 5th, the date after the first round of elections.

The deputy is also prohibited from accessing Flávio Serafini's campaign committee and from attending the congressman's electoral propaganda events of which he is aware.

The court also ordered that he not maintain contact, including through social networks or through third parties, with Maria de Lourdes do Carmo, Cíntia Teixeira de Souza Silva, Anna Cecília Faro Bonan, Sérgio Augusto Rodrigues Belerique and members of Serafini and Maria de Lourdes' campaign teams.

The investigation will be conducted by the Federal Police, under the supervision of TRE-RJ, and will have an initial deadline of 30 days for completion. Among the authorized measures are the hearing of victims, witnesses and police officers, video inspection, preservation of images from security cameras and collection of information on weapons registrations, possession, CAC status and any traffic guides of the person being investigated.